Month: October 2006

Big laughs

We went downtown last night to see the Colin and Brad Show. If you’re a fan of the Drew Carey hosted show Whose Line is it Anyway?, then you know Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood. Their talent is amazing. I had tears literally streaming down my cheeks.

The show consists of variations of the games seen on the show, with an extra or two. There is lots of audience participation with most games including audience members on stage. The Raleigh performance included one guy in an aisle seat on the front row that was wearing an inflatable horse. Brad brought the guy up on stage for individualized ridicule.

My favorite game was Mousetrap. In this game, one hundred mouse traps are scattered over a portion of the stage. Brad and Colin remove there shoes and socks, put on blindfolds, and play the alphabet game done as an opera. (They alternate phrases, each beginning with the next letter of the alphabet.) All this while wandering among the loaded mousetraps. The performers end up tossing the traps at each other, while still blindfolded, and the whole game was the funniest thing I’ve ever witnessed.

SUV irony

We were having lunch yesterday when a vehicle entering the parking lot caught my attention. It was a Ford Excursion that was pulling into this strip center in the suburbs. Behind the wheel of the behemoth was a thirty-something mom with one small child in the back seat. The SUV was sporting the typical magnetic “Support the Troops” yellow ribbon… right beside the fuel flap.

Pinella

A friend asked my thoughts about Lou Pinella and if we should even care. Well, I don’t care much anymore. To me, hiring Lou Pinella is the sports equivalent of “stay the course”. In my opinion the man for the job was Joe Girardi. A hometown guy and former Cub who rightly told his former boss to sit down and shut up. That’s who should manage the Cubs.

Hard work

I’m convinced that being a parent is the hardest job you’ll ever have. Well, being a good parent. I suppose that it’s not particularly difficult to be a crappy parent. The stress comes with caring about the task, and more importantly, the outcome. You try your best every day. Sometimes you know you had a good moment and other times you know that you failed the immediate challenge. But the work continues, and you keep trying to improve, and in a few years you find out how you did. Wish me luck.

Studio 60

Aaron Sorkin has created another great TV show in Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. This isn’t unexpected since his previous efforts, Sports Night and The West Wing, were excellent. There is witty, intelligent dialog with interesting, imperfect characters.

In Studio 60 I’ve noticed some autobiographical elements. Partners doing a TV show (Sorkin and Thomas Schlamme), one with a substance abuse problem (Sorkin), one burning out by doing it all himself (Sorkin again), and maybe more. I haven’t researched Schlamme’s history to know if there is more of him in the characters. Maybe I’ll dig a little and see what I can find.

The show is great on it’s own and these personal elements are icing on the cake.

Long seasons

I used to be interested in sports. It used to entertaining. Now, with few exceptions, it’s just boring. The outcome is inconsequential because there will be another game tomorrow. And the day after, and again after that. For me the worst offender is NASCAR. The 2006 Nextel Cup schedule has 36 races, plus special events, starting in February and ending in November. Hockey is almost as bad, and the NBA and MLB are close. Only the NFL schedule is close to reasonable and even it is too long.

The reason for the long schedules isn’t a mystery. Just follow the money. As long as there are butts in the seats, then they’ll play the games. I still enjoy a game here and there. I try to watch the F1 races (there are only 16) and catch the Hurricanes when I have a chance. If not, wait a day or two and tune in then.

I’m happy to say that I have other things to do with my money and my life.

Nothing profound

Woke up with a bit of a hangover this morning. Not happy about it, but I know the cause so I don’t have a right to complain. I did a quick search for a relevant quote and found one that I liked.

I think a man ought to get drunk at least twice a year just on principle, so he won’t let himself get snotty about it.

~Raymond Chandler